Glarus Nord is one of three

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of the

canton of Glarus The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus. The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German. The majority of ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(the others being

Glarus , neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ) , twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany) } Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in S ...

and

Glarus Süd Glarus Süd is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Glarus. It comprises the upper Linth valley, and the entire Sernf valley, and includes the villages of Betschwanden, Braunwald, Diesbach, Elm, Engi, Haslen, Hätzingen, Leuggelbach, Lintha ...

). Effective from 1 January 2011, Glarus Nord incorporates the former municipalities of

Bilten Bilten is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Bilten is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Bilten is first mentioned in 1050 as ''Billitun''. Geography Bilten has an ar ...

Filzbach Filzbach is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Filzbach is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Filzbach is first mentioned in 1394 as ''Vilentzspach''. Geography Filzbach ...

Mollis Mollis is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Mollis is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Mollis is first mentioned in 1288. Geography Mollis has an area, , of . Of this ...

Mühlehorn Mühlehorn is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Mühlehorn is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Mühlehorn is first mentioned in 1551 as ''Mülihorn''. Geography Mühle ...

Näfels Näfels is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Näfels is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Näfels is first mentioned in 1240 as ''Nevels''. In 1388, the Swiss Confederate ...

Niederurnen Niederurnen is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Niederurnen is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Niederurnen is first mentioned either before 1045 or between 1077 and 110 ...

Oberurnen Oberurnen is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Oberurnen is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Oberurnen is first mentioned in 1340 as ''Obern Urannen''. Geography Oberurne ...

and

Obstalden Obstalden is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Obstalden is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Obstalden is first mentioned in 1310. Geography Obstalden has an area, , ...

.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 18 February 2011

History

Bilten

Bilten is first mentioned in 1050 as ''Billitun''. The area around Bilten was probably inhabited in the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. By the mid-11th century,

Schänis Abbey Schänis Abbey (german: Kloster Schänis) was founded in the 9th century. It was situated in the present town of Schänis in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It was a house of secular canonesses of the nobility (german: adliges Damenstift) an ...

owned a large part of the village, and in 1178 the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

confirmed Schänis Abbey's ownership of the village. St. Catherine's Chapel in the village was first mentioned in 1345. In either 1405/06 or 1415, the village joined the County of Glarus. The village's residents were no longer required to pay rents to Schänis Abbey after 1412, but remained partly under the Abbey's control until 1612. In 1528, the majority of the residents embraced the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and converted to the new faith. Subsequently Bilten became part of the Reformed

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Niederurnen. A village church was consecrated in 1607. From the 16th until the 18th century, the alpine pastures around the village were used to raise large livestock for sale to other towns. As a sign of the growing wealth in Bilten, in 1608 a local family built the

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

Elsener House. In the 18th century the local farmers gradually shifted from selling cattle to raising

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was mad ...

and selling dairy products. In the late 18th century, the

Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length. The water power of the Linth ...

river began to silt up, and swamps and marshes formed along the river near Bilten. The marshy land caused disease which only ended with the Linth correction project of 1807-23. Between 1887 and 1939 the Biltener creek was gradually brought under control and channeled, ending its frequent flooding. The first school was built in Bilten in 1839. In 1853 a boys' boarding school opened in the Elsener House, and it remained in operation until 1944. The village was connected to the ''Nordostbahn'' (Swiss North-eastern railway) network in 1875. Until the mid-20th century Bilten remained an agricultural village. The Kunz slaughterhouse, which opened in 1958 and closed in 1995, and the insulation and packaging material company Wannerit AG, which opened in 1964, brought some industry to Bilten. When the

A3 motorway This is a list of roads designated A3. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * A003 road (Argentina), a road connecting the junction with National Route 9 and Camino de Cintura to Tigre * ''A3 road (Australia)'' may refer ...

was built through the valley in 1973, a number of factories took advantage of the convenient transport links and moved into Bilten. By 1990, over three-quarters of the working population were employed in industry. In 1976, a wastewater treatment plant serving the Glarus valley and surrounding area was built in Bilten.

Filzbach

Filzbach is first mentioned in 1394 as ''Vilentzspach''. The ruins of a Roman watchtower, ''Vor dem Wald'', from the time of Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

indicate that the area was inhabited by the Roman era. The tower was built in the second decade BC and abandoned in 16 AD. Little is known about the village during the Middle Ages. It first became part of Glarus after the

Battle of Sempach The Battle of Sempach was fought on 9 July 1386, between Leopold III, Duke of Austria and the Old Swiss Confederacy. The battle was a decisive Swiss victory in which Duke Leopold and numerous Austrian nobles died. The victory helped turn the lo ...

in 1386. The inhabitants of Filzbach were under the control of Schänis Abbey until the 14th century when they became part of the parish of Obstalden. They converted to the new Reformed faith in 1528. The farmers of Filzbach practiced

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

into the 17th century. By the 18th century most farmers raised orchards in their fields. Today they live mostly on alpine herding. During the 18th century many families also began

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...

spinning and cloth making to bring in extra money. A silk factory was built in 1889 and remained in operation for just over a century, closing in 1990. A small tourism industry developed in the 19th century and in 1926 the small resort ''Lihn des Blauen Kreuzes'' opened. After the Walenseestrasse was built along Walen Lake, tourism increased dramatically and two chair lifts were built. The village school was built in 1838 and is still in operation today.

Mollis

Mollis is first mentioned in 1288. The oldest trace of a settlement in Mollis is a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

temple discovered on the Hüttenböschen about from Walen Lake. The temple was probably built between AD 50 and 150 and used until the 4th century. In the 8th century,

Säckingen Abbey Säckingen Abbey is a former Roman Catholic abbey located in Bad Säckingen, Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The Abbey was founded in the 6th or 7th century by Fridolin of Säckingen, an Irish monk. While the Abbey had both monks and nuns, only th ...

acquired several large estates in Mollis. Parts of the medieval Letzi fortification (a Cultural Property of National Significance in Näfels) were built near Beglingen village after the

Battle of Näfels The Battle of Näfels was fought on 9 April 1388 between the Canton of Glarus, supported by its allies of the Old Swiss Confederation, and the Duchy of Austria ruled by the House of Habsburg. It was a decisive victory for Glarus, which achieved i ...

in 1388. The village chapel was built in 1280. It was elevated to a church in 1319 and in 1444 became a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

for the newly created Mollis parish. Fridolin Brunner, the parish priest in 1523-25, introduced the Reformation to Mollis. However, many residents remained Catholic and the

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

s remained in the church and

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

was celebrated until 1529. Once the village church converted to the new faith, the Catholic faithful joined the parishes of Näfels or Oberurnen. The current church was built in 1761 by Hans Ulrich Grubenmann, and the Roman Catholic St. Mary's Church opened in 1963. Until the 15th century the local economy was dominated by subsistence agriculture and shepherding. After that time, sheep were gradually replaced by larger livestock such as cattle which summered in alpine pastures and were raised for sale. In the 18th century, local farmers switched to raising dairy cattle. In the 16th century a spring fed pool was built on the Walenberg and around 1600 another opened in Rüfi. From 1600 until the 19th century the pools and the visitors that they brought were another source of income for the village. Between 1714 and 1789 many of the residents began spinning cotton yarn, which raised the standard of living for the whole village. Another source of income came from many residents who became mercenary officers: so many officers from Mollis made their fortunes in foreign military service that the village became known as an "Aristocrats' Nest". Following the 1798 French invasion and the conflicts during the

Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

, troops were often sent to Mollis and the population suffered under frequent occupation. The construction of the Escher canal in 1807-11 and the Linth correction which finished in 1827 finally ended century-long conflicts with neighboring municipalities over the boundaries along the river. The Kerenzerbergstrasse was built in 1836-51, and helped connect Mollis to the surrounding towns. In 1859 the United Swiss Railways built a station between Näfels and Mollis. In 1856 the Jenny & Co. spinning and weaving factory moved into the village. The large factory remained in operation until 1967. In 1860 Pfeiffer AG built a linen factory, which was acquired by the American Standard Textile Company in 2000. The municipality built a school in 1862. The secondary school, which was open from 1863 until 1872 and then again after 1883 was used by students from Kerenzen village until 1973. A girls' boarding school opened in 1846. It later became a Children's and Youth Home, but this closed in 1983. A military airfield was built on the commons in 1936. It became a civilian airfield in 2005.

Mühlehorn

Mühlehorn is first mentioned in 1551 as ''Mülihorn''.

Näfels

Näfels is first mentioned in 1240 as ''Nevels''. In 1388, the

Swiss Confederates ''Eidgenossenschaft'' () is a German word specific to the political history of Switzerland. It means "oath commonwealth" or "oath alliance" in reference to the "eternal pacts" formed between the Eight Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy of t ...

beat the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

at the

Niederurnen

Niederurnen is first mentioned either before 1045 or between 1077 and 1101 as ''Niter Urnnen''.

Oberurnen

Oberurnen is first mentioned in 1340 as ''Obern Urannen''.

Obstalden

Obstalden is first mentioned in 1310.

Geography

The former municipalities that now make up Glarus Nord have a total combined area of . Based on the 2004/09 survey about 37.2% of the total area is used for agricultural purposes, while 40.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 16.3% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85-2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by and the agricultural land has decreased by .Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Regional portraits
accessed 2 May 2016

Demographics

Glarus Nord has a population () of . , 22.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 3 years (2010-2013) the population has changed at a rate of 4.31%. The

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

in the municipality, in 2013, was 11.2 while the

death rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of de ...

was 8.6 per thousand residents. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 62.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.6%.

Historic Population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1100 height:800 PlotArea = height:650 left:100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:16000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:3000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:600 start:0 Colors= id:BI value:yellowgreen legend:Bilten id:FI value:green legend:Filzbach id:MO value:blue legend:Mollis id:MÜ value:red legend:Mühlehorn id:NÄ value:yellow legend:Näfels id:NI value:orange legend:Niederurnen id:OB value:coral legend:Oberurnen id:OS value:powderblue legend:Obstalden PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:681 text:"681" color:BI bar:1860 from: 0 till:700 text:"700" color:BI bar:1870 from: 0 till:624 text:"624" color:BI bar:1880 from: 0 till:643 text:"643" color:BI bar:1890 from: 0 till:616 text:"616" color:BI bar:1900 from: 0 till:555 text:"555" color:BI bar:1910 from: 0 till:592 text:"592" color:BI bar:1920 from: 0 till:634 text:"634" color:BI bar:1930 from: 0 till:623 text:"623" color:BI bar:1940 from: 0 till:696 text:"696" color:BI bar:1950 from: 0 till:706 text:"706" color:BI bar:1960 from: 0 till:808 text:"808" color:BI bar:1970 from: 0 till:1216 text:"1,216" color:BI bar:1980 from: 0 till:1565 text:"1,565" color:BI bar:1990 from: 0 till:1916 text:"1,916" color:BI bar:2000 from: 0 till:1882 text:"1,882" color:BI bar:1890 from: 616 till:1034 text:"418" color:FI bar:1900 from: 555 till:962 text:"407" color:FI bar:1910 from: 592 till:1024 text:"432" color:FI bar:1920 from: 634 till:1040 text:"406" color:FI bar:1930 from: 623 till:1033 text:"410" color:FI bar:1940 from: 696 till:1083 text:"387" color:FI bar:1950 from: 706 till:1099 text:"393" color:FI bar:1960 from: 808 till:1242 text:"434" color:FI bar:1970 from: 1216 till:1593 text:"377" color:FI bar:1980 from: 1565 till:2013 text:"448" color:FI bar:1990 from: 1916 till:2387 text:"471" color:FI bar:2000 from: 1882 till:2424 text:"542" color:FI bar:1850 from: 681 till:2722 text:"2,041" color:MO bar:1860 from: 700 till:2810 text:"2,110" color:MO bar:1870 from: 624 till:2869 text:"2,245" color:MO bar:1880 from: 643 till:2709 text:"2,066" color:MO bar:1890 from: 1034 till:3069 text:"2,035" color:MO bar:1900 from: 962 till:2874 text:"1,912" color:MO bar:1910 from: 1024 till:2963 text:"1,939" color:MO bar:1920 from: 1040 till:3076 text:"2,036" color:MO bar:1930 from: 1033 till:3126 text:"2,093" color:MO bar:1940 from: 1083 till:3157 text:"2,074" color:MO bar:1950 from: 1099 till:3290 text:"2,191" color:MO bar:1960 from: 1242 till:3545 text:"2,303" color:MO bar:1970 from: 1593 till:4221 text:"2,628" color:MO bar:1980 from: 2013 till:4634 text:"2,621" color:MO bar:1990 from: 2387 till:5365 text:"2,978" color:MO bar:2000 from: 2424 till:5398 text:"2,974" color:MO bar:1850 from: 2722 till:4319 text:"1,597" color:MÜ bar:1860 from: 2810 till:4366 text:"1,556" color:MÜ bar:1870 from: 2869 till:4403 text:"1,534" color:MÜ bar:1880 from: 2709 till:4266 text:"1,557" color:MÜ bar:1890 from: 3069 till:3607 text:"538" color:MÜ bar:1900 from: 2874 till:3405 text:"531" color:MÜ bar:1910 from: 2963 till:3521 text:"558" color:MÜ bar:1920 from: 3076 till:3588 text:"512" color:MÜ bar:1930 from: 3126 till:3661 text:"535" color:MÜ bar:1940 from: 3157 till:3698 text:"541" color:MÜ bar:1950 from: 3290 till:3921 text:"631" color:MÜ bar:1960 from: 3545 till:4237 text:"692" color:MÜ bar:1970 from: 4221 till:4739 text:"518" color:MÜ bar:1980 from: 4634 till:5094 text:"460" color:MÜ bar:1990 from: 5365 till:5840 text:"475" color:MÜ bar:2000 from: 5398 till:5839 text:"441" color:MÜ bar:1850 from: 4319 till:6188 text:"1,869" color:NÄ bar:1860 from: 4366 till:6553 text:"2,187" color:NÄ bar:1870 from: 4403 till:6916 text:"2,513" color:NÄ bar:1880 from: 4266 till:6733 text:"2,467" color:NÄ bar:1890 from: 3607 till:6054 text:"2,447" color:NÄ bar:1900 from: 3405 till:5962 text:"2,557" color:NÄ bar:1910 from: 3521 till:6374 text:"2,853" color:NÄ bar:1920 from: 3588 till:6472 text:"2,884" color:NÄ bar:1930 from: 3661 till:6609 text:"2,948" color:NÄ bar:1940 from: 3698 till:6838 text:"3,140" color:NÄ bar:1950 from: 3921 till:7248 text:"3,327" color:NÄ bar:1960 from: 4237 till:7854 text:"3,617" color:NÄ bar:1970 from: 4739 till:8478 text:"3,739" color:NÄ bar:1980 from: 5094 till:8860 text:"3,766" color:NÄ bar:1990 from: 5840 till:9722 text:"3,882" color:NÄ bar:2000 from: 5839 till:9786 text:"3,947" color:NÄ bar:1850 from: 6188 till:7693 text:"1,505" color:NI bar:1860 from: 6553 till:8320 text:"1,767" color:NI bar:1870 from: 6916 till:8700 text:"1,784" color:NI bar:1880 from: 6733 till:8408 text:"1,675" color:NI bar:1890 from: 6054 till:7934 text:"1,880" color:NI bar:1900 from: 5962 till:7835 text:"1,873" color:NI bar:1910 from: 6374 till:8484 text:"2,110" color:NI bar:1920 from: 6472 till:8723 text:"2,251" color:NI bar:1930 from: 6609 till:9020 text:"2,411" color:NI bar:1940 from: 6838 till:9410 text:"2,572" color:NI bar:1950 from: 7248 till:10179 text:"2,931" color:NI bar:1960 from: 7854 till:11201 text:"3,347" color:NI bar:1970 from: 8478 till:11832 text:"3,354" color:NI bar:1980 from: 8860 till:12298 text:"3,438" color:NI bar:1990 from: 9722 till:13133 text:"3,411" color:NI bar:2000 from: 9786 till:13527 text:"3,741" color:NI bar:1850 from: 7693 till:8384 text:"691" color:OB bar:1860 from: 8320 till:9099 text:"779" color:OB bar:1870 from: 8700 till:9541 text:"841" color:OB bar:1880 from: 8408 till:9106 text:"698" color:OB bar:1890 from: 7934 till:8693 text:"759" color:OB bar:1900 from: 7835 till:8697 text:"862" color:OB bar:1910 from: 8484 till:9397 text:"913" color:OB bar:1920 from: 8723 till:9751 text:"1,028" color:OB bar:1930 from: 9020 till:10124 text:"1,104" color:OB bar:1940 from: 9410 till:10517 text:"1,107" color:OB bar:1950 from: 10179 till:11360 text:"1,181" color:OB bar:1960 from: 11201 till:12516 text:"1,315" color:OB bar:1970 from: 11832 till:13424 text:"1,592" color:OB bar:1980 from: 12298 till:14022 text:"1,724" color:OB bar:1990 from: 13133 till:14923 text:"1,790" color:OB bar:2000 from: 13527 till:15338 text:"1,811" color:OB bar:1890 from: 8693 till:9182 text:"489" color:OS bar:1900 from: 8697 till:9169 text:"472" color:OS bar:1910 from: 9397 till:9849 text:"452" color:OS bar:1920 from: 9751 till:10159 text:"408" color:OS bar:1930 from: 10124 till:10531 text:"407" color:OS bar:1940 from: 10517 till:10941 text:"424" color:OS bar:1950 from: 11360 till:11857 text:"497" color:OS bar:1960 from: 12516 till:13058 text:"542" color:OS bar:1970 from: 13424 till:13844 text:"420" color:OS bar:1980 from: 14022 till:14388 text:"366" color:OS bar:1990 from: 14923 till:15311 text:"388" color:OS bar:2000 from: 15338 till:15772 text:"434" color:OS

Heritage sites of national significance

There are ten Swiss heritage sites of national significance located in the new municipality. Bilten and Filzbach are both home to one, the Herrensitz Milt or ''Elsener'' house in Bilten and the Roman watchtower ''Vor dem Wald'' in Filzbach. Mollis has three sites, the Herrensitz Haltli, the Hof and Höfli with garden pavillon at Steinackerstrasse 4 and the ''Zwicky'' house. Näfels is also home to three sites, the Freuler Palace and Museum of Glarus, the Catholic Church of St. Hilarius and the medieval fortifications known as the ''Letzi''. Mühlehorn and Niederurnen both have one, the Hammerschmiede at Kohlplatz and the industrial plant and settlement of Jenny & Co., respectively. There are also three sites on the

Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...

, the entire village of Mollis, the urbanized village of Näfels and the Jenny & Co. factory site at Ziegelbrücke. The remains of the Roman watchtower ''Vor dem Wald'' or ''Voremwald'' are preserved on rocky knolls about above the southern shore of Walen Lake. They were first mentioned in 1846 and were excavated in 1956-59 by Rudolf Fritz Legler and Laur-Belart. The watchtower is a rectangular stone tower about at the base. It had a cistern within the tower and an oval, walled courtyard. Pottery and weapons from the rule of Emperor

indicate that the tower was occupied by the second decade BC. Together with the forts Biberlikopf in

Schänis Schänis is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Schänis is first mentioned in 972 as ''Schennines''. Until 1798 it was the capital of the Herrschaft of Gaster an ...

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...

and Stralegg in

Amden Amden is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster, in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Amden is first mentioned in 1178 as ''Andimo monte Voraden''. In 1230 it was mentioned as ''Andimin'', in 1282 as '' ...

, St. Gallen it was probably built to support the Roman Alpine campaign in 15 BC. File:Bilten-Herrensitz-Milt.jpg, Herrensitz Milt / ''Elsener'' House File:Filzbach-Wachtturm.jpg, Roman Watchtower File:Mollis-Herrensitz-Haltli.jpg, Herrensitz Haltli File:Mollis-Zwickyhaus-1.jpg, ''Zwicky'' House File:Picswiss GL-15-15.jpg, Freuler Palace and Museum of Glarus File:Naefels-Kirche.jpg, St. Hilarius Parish Church of Näfels File:Picswiss GL-15-08.jpg, ''Letzi'', Medieval Fortifications File:Mittelholzer Ziegelbrücke vor 1920.jpg, Factory Site at Ziegelbrücke

Economy

, there were a total of 8,330 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 425 people worked in 158 businesses in the primary economic sector. The

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...

employed 3,487 workers in 263 separate businesses. Finally, the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

provided 4,418 jobs in 878 businesses. In 2013 a total of 3.7% of the population received social assistance.

Politics

In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the BDP with 57.5% of the vote, followed by the SP with 38.4%. The remaining 4.1% went to unaffiliated or minor party candidates. In the federal election, a total of 4,355 votes were cast, and the

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

was 38.5%. The 2015 election saw a large change in the voting when compared to 2011. The percentage of the vote received by the SP increased sharply from 22.2% in 2011 to 38.4% in 2015, while the percentage that the BDP dropped from 66.5% to 57.5%.

Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the

Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...

(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Glarus Nord was 38.9 per thousand residents. This rate is only 60.2% of the average rate in the entire country. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 5.7 per thousand residents. This rate is about half that of the nearby municipalities of Glarus and Glarus Süd and is only 57.6% of the national rate.

Transportation

The municipality is located on the

. There are four railway stations within the municipality: * is on the

Lake Zürich left-bank railway line The Lake Zürich left bank railway line (german: Linksufrige Zürichseebahn), is a railway line in Switzerland. As its name suggests, it runs down the left, or west, bank of Lake Zürich, connecting Zürich to Ziegelbrücke and Näfels. The lef ...

. It is a stop on the

Zürich S-Bahn The Zürich S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Zürich) system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zürich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Glarus, ...

S2 service that links

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

and

Ziegelbrücke Ziegelbrücke is a village in Switzerland. Ziegelbrücke is shared by the municipalities of Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus and Schänis in the canton of St. Gallen. Geography and political situation The village of Ziegelbrücke is divided ...

Ziegelbrücke railway station Ziegelbrücke railway station (german: Bahnhof Ziegelbrücke) is a junction station in the village of Ziegelbrücke in Switzerland. Whilst the village is shared between the municipality of Glarus Nord, in the canton of Glarus, and the municipal ...

, just over the border in the

canton of St Gallen The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall (german: link=no, Kanton St. Gallen ; rm, Chantun Son Gagl; french: Canton de Saint-Gall; it, Canton San Gallo), is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen. Located in northeastern ...

, is on the same line, but also served by faster long-distance trains. * and are on the Ziegelbrücke–Linthal line. They are served by the

S25 between Linthal and Zürich, and by the

St. Gallen S-Bahn The St. Gallen S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn St. Gallen) is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail in Eastern Switzerland and neighbouring areas. The network connects stations in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Gris ...

S6 between

Rapperswil Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...

and Schwanden. Both services operate once per hour, combining to provide two trains per hour between

and Schwanden. * is on the Ziegelbrücke–Sargans line. It is a stop on the S4 service of the St. Gallen S-Bahn, which operates in a circular fashion in the direction of and .

Notable people

Karl Josef von Bachmann Karl Joseph Anton Leodegar von Bachmann (3 March 1734 – 3 September 1792) was a Swiss mercenary in French service, best known as the commander of the Gardes Suisses, Swiss Guards during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792. Family Karl Joseph ...

(1734 in Näfels – 1792) Commander Swiss Guard for

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, executed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Niklaus Franz von Bachmann Niklaus Leodegar Franz Ignaz von Bachmann (Näfels, 27 March 1740 – Näfels, 11 February 1831), was a Swiss general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Family and early life He was born in an aristocratic Swiss family of long-standing military ...

(1740 in Näfels – 1831 in Näfels) a Swiss general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars *

Fritz Zwicky Fritz Zwicky (; ; February 14, 1898 – February 8, 1974) was a Swiss astronomer. He worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology in the United States of America, where he made many important contributions in theoretical and ...

(1898–1974) Bulgarian-born American astronomer, buried in

village *

Friedrich Schröder Friedrich Schröder (6 August 1910 – 25 September 1972) was a Swiss composer of what could be referred to as light music. Career Born in Näfels, Switzerland, Schröder studied music in Stuttgart, Münster, and Berlin. Already in those ea ...

(1910 in Näfels – 1972) a German composer of light music *

Martin Landolt Martin Landolt (born 30 June 1968 in Näfels; Place of origin in Glarus Nord) is a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss National Council for the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP). From May 2012 to December 2020, he served as t ...

(born 1968 in Näfels) a politician and member of the

Swiss National Council The National Council (german: Nationalrat; french: Conseil national; it, Consiglio nazionale; rm, Cussegl naziunal) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the upper house being the Council of States. With 200 seats, the ...

References

External links

official websiteofficial tourism website
{{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of Glarus Populated places on the Walensee